MERIT BADGE WATCH….There’s another Chinese import gaining a foothold in Southern California. This time it’s a new Boy Scout merit badge:
Officials with the local Boy Scouts and the Motion Picture Assn. of America on Friday unveiled the Respect Copyrights Activity Patch ? emblazoned with a large circle “C” copyright sign along with a film reel and musical notes.
….To earn the badge, Scouts must participate in several activities including creating a video public-service announcement and visiting a video-sharing website to identify which materials are copyrighted. They may also watch a movie and discuss how people behind the scenes would be harmed if the film were pirated.
The punchline, of course, will come when some scout creates a video public-service announcement tht includes pirated material from an after-school special about the dangers of piracy. The script almost writes itself.
